Florida teen brings knife to school with list of students' names, deputies say

A Florida high school student was arrested Monday after deputies said he brought a knife, gas mask and other disturbing items to school.

Explore>> Read more trending news

Benjamin Mendoza, 18, was booked into the Collier County Jail on charges of possession of a weapon on school property and interfering/disrupting school administration functions.

Deputies said they received a tip about Mendoza Friday from someone who said Mendoza had brought a gas mask to Palmetto Ridge High School and previously had made disturbing comments to him about the Las Vegas mass shooting.

Explore>> Related: FBI didn't investigate tip about Nikolas Cruz before deadly school shooting

When confronted at the school, northwest of Naples, detectives found several items in Mendoza’s backpack, including:

  • A fake, but realistic-looking, Los Angeles Police Department badge;
  • A drawing of a body with bullet holes to the chest and the words "dead ha ha dead" written on the back of the paper;
  • A small notebook containing stories and drawings depicting victims and suspects in murders and other crimes;
  • A Palmetto Ridge High School map; and
  • A note that said "shoot up school" and "school shoot animae (cq) dead."

Mendoza also had a map of the school and a list of students names in his backpack, the  Naples Daily News reported.

Other students also told detectives that they saw Mendoza with a knife and gas mask at school.

About the Author